Elastic stocking and the like



Nov. 13, 1951 F .v,.GooD|-||| D 2,574,737

ELAsTIc STOCKING4 AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 7, 195 O -2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 FIG,4

- INVENToR. y FREDERICK NLGOODCHILD ATTORNEY.

-Y wil,

Patented Nov. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELASTIC STOCKING AND THE LIKE Frederick V. Goodchild, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Ghesterman-Leeland Co., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January v7, 1950, Serial No. 137,438 claims. (c1. ca -'178) This invention relates to elastic stockings and the like and it relates more particularly to the fabric employed in the formation of elastic stockings and the like, which are used for surgical purposes and for the treatment of ailments.

Heretofore most of the elastic stockings in common use have utilized a knitted ribbed fabric, with a covered rubber thread inlaid in the courses of the stitches of which the fabric was composed. Elastic fabrics knitted in this manner were open to the objection that the stretch was not uniform in all directions by reason of the covered rubber thread being disposed circumferentially in the fabric of the tube.

Recently there became available an elastic yarn made of a much lighter strand of rubber or latex covered by one or more layers of threads of brous material such as cotton, silk, rayon, nylon, or the like, wound in helical form on the rubber or latex core. Such yarns may be readily worked in ordinary knitting machines and plain stitches used in the formation of the fabric. Furthermore articles made therefrom are more uniformly stretchable in all directions so that the stocking or other article will conform better to the part of the body to which the same is applied.

However upon the making of surgical stockings and the like, employing such yarns, considerable difficulty occurred in connection with the shaping or fashioning of the fabric at the ankle, knee and similar locations by reason of the formation, at such places, of wrinkles inthe fabric when the leg or foot was flexed, particularly when such stockings were made on seamless machines, which are the kind most commonly employed in the making of surgical stockings.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide surgical stockings and the like made of an elastic knitted fabric freely stretchable in all directions and. so fabricated at the ankle, knee, and similar locations, that the same may be readily flexed without causing wrinkles to occur at such places in the stocking.

A further object of the invention is to provide elastic stockings and the like, of theV character aforesaid, which may be made on ordinary seamless knitting machines.

The nature and characterictic features of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view, to a certain extent diagrammatic, of a portion of a fabric used in stockings, and the like, embodying the main features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of a preferredform of yarn employed in the making of the fabric; l

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a completed stocking illustrating preferred relative locations of fashioning areas;

Fig. 4 is a similar view of an elastic knee band illustrating the location therein of a fashioning area; and

Fig. 5 is an anklet band also having a fashioning area incorporated therein, as well as a* heel pocket which may be, and preferably is, made of ordinary non-elastic yarn.

It should, of course, be understood that thedescription and drawing herein are illustrative merely, and that various modifications and changes may be made in the fabric, and in the elastic articles in which fashioning areas are incorporated, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The main or body portion of each of the various articles coming within the scope of the present invention is preferably knitted of plain ordinary stitches, as it is not necessary in the carrying out of the present invention to use a ribbed or similar fabric. However, the yarn employed should be of a highly elastic character, preferably of the type shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and comprising a central core 20 of rubber or the like around which is wound one or more strands of fibrous material, such as cotton, silk, rayon, nylon, or the like, disposed in helical form on the rubber or latex core. When more than one layer of strands of the fibrous material is disposed on the elastic core, the same would be arranged in the several layers in reversed pitch, so that the outer strand 22 will not tend to pass within the convolutions of the inner strand 2l.

Whenever an elastic yarn is referred to herein, the same is meant to refer to a highly elastic yarn of the character above described with a central core of rubber or the like, and not to an ordinary yarn of fibrous material which, of course, does have a certain small amount of elasticity, such yarn, however, being herein referred to as ordinary yarn or non-elastic yarn. v

In Fig. l of the drawingthere is shown a portion of a fabric of which the novel elastic articles of the present invention are made. In the main portion thereof as, for example, in the courses l, 2, 3, and 4, and in the wales 5 and 6 plain ordinary stitches are preferably employed, whereas in the other or what might be regarded as the fashioning portion of the fabric, ordinary stitches are used in alternate wales L12 and I3, whereas in the other alternate Wales T, 8, 9 and I 0, draw stitches are employed, which may be formed by burying the needles which normally form the stitches in these wales during each alternate course. When thus formed the yarn is floated across the alternate wales in each alternate course.

By reason of the provision of the areas I5 in which the draw stitches are used, such areas will Bube internally stressed to'a greater extent .than the mainbody of the fabric, thus causing bends in the article by reason of the construction of the same at the desired locations as, for example, opposite the knee and heel. i

Referring now more particularly tno Fig. 3 of the drawings, there is there shown, inside elevation, a surgical stocking employing in its gonstruction a fabric embodying the main features of the present invention. Said stocking? as there shown comprises a body portionv I6 which is knitted of elastic yarn and preferably'using'ordinary ing. on the rear side of the tube, opposite the ankle fashioning area l5 there may be-knitted in a heel-pocket 3G madeof ordinary yarn, preferably of the same bre as that employed for the covering of the rubber core of the elastic yarn employed for knitting the main or body portion of the tube.

The top of the stocking may also be provided with a portion 3i made of ordinary yarn and having a w-elt 32A formedtherein in the usual manner. Likewise, at the bottom of the tube the fabric may be turned and stitched to provide a welt 33 at that end. l

lIn the making of the various other elastic fabric articles, such as the knee caps shown in Fig. 4

of the drawings, the entire article may be made of the elastic yarn. The same may be provided with a fashioning area b opposite the knee portion, and also the same may be provided with welts 32a andi-Z3a at the respective ends which may be formed in the usual manner, as by holding the stitches on` the needles for the desired number of courses, and then interknitting the same into the body of the fabric, or by turnirig the fabric and stitching the same.

` The article shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, designed as an ankletfor use on the'ankle portion of the wearer, may be made in a manner substantially similar to that of the article shown in Fig. 4, with the exception that there is provided a heel pocket 38a which may be and preferably is knitted of Vordinary yarn. The fashioning area |5 in this article may be formed as in the other articles, as also may be the welts"3r2lb and 33h.

A tubular elastic bandage made in accordance with the present invention is much more comfort- Y able when worn for the treatment of certain ailments than those heretofore available. This is so, not only by reason of the substantially uniform stretchability in all directions, but also by reason of the fact that the fabric itself can be made much lighter inl texture for an equal amount of binding effect upon'theportion of the'body where the same is to be worn.

Furthermore, it will be found that in such a bandage there will be much less tendency of the fabric to wrinkle at the places where the limbs of the wearer are flexed when the same is provided with fashioning areas in the portions opposite the joints.

I claim:

1. An elastic bandage the main or body portion of which is formed by knitting a highly elastic yarn in ordinaryV stitch formation, and having `fashioning areas at desired locations in which a similar yarn is employed but in which draw kstitches are employed, said draw stitches being formed by floating said highly elastic yarn in certain courses. between wales of ordinary stitches and interknitting said highly elastic yarn in the other Wales in loops extending over at least two courses'.

2. An elastic bandage the main or body portion ,of which isr formed by knitting a highly elastic yarnin ordinary stitch formation, and having fashioning areas at desired locations in which a similar yarn is employed but in which draw stitches varefern'ployed at spaced locations therein, s'aid draw stitchesbe'ing for-med by floating said highly elasticl yarnin certain -coursesbetween wales of ordinary stitches and interknitting said highly elastic yarn in the other wales in loops extending over at least two courses.

3. An elastic bandage the-main or body portion of which is formed by knitting a highly elastic yarn in ordinary stitch formation, and having fashioningareas at desired locations in which a 'similar yarn is employed but in which draw stitches are employed in spaced wales, said draw stitchesbeing-formed-by floating said highly elastic yarn in spaced courses between wales of ordinary stitches and-interknitting said-highly elastic yarnl in the wales acrosswhich said-yarn is floated in loops extending over the courses in which-said yarn-isfloated.

fi.v An elastic bandage the-'mainfor body portion of which is formedv by knitting a highly elastic yarn in ordinary stitch formation, and having fashioning areas-at desired locations in which a similar yarn is employed but in which draw stitches are employed in alternate wales, said drawstitches'beingfformed by floating said highly elastic yarn in alternate courses between alternate vwales of ordinarystitches and -interknitting said'highly elastic yar'rr in the intermediate wales in loop'siextending over twocoursesof the body fabric.

5; Anelastic banda'getheymain or body portion of which is formed by knitting a highly elastic 'yarn in ordinary stitch formation, and having fashioning areas lai@desired locations in which the alternate coursesibetween alternate wales of ordijmily ttch anglilknimng Said highly elastic yarn inthe intermediate wales in loops extending over two c'nnfses 'of the'bfodyfabric, said elastic Yarn, @.Pnprsllg eerltraliere 0f' rubber covered ,by eiyleastiofe 'lei/.etoile brous Strand wound thereoniehelielform-.

- l FREDERrCK V. GooD'CHiLD.

y REFERENCES CITED The following references are'of record in the 'mehr uns' patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date "1j,819,958 I ..ocl`1h eady Aug. 18, 1931 Y1-,980519 Grunziget alf, Nov. 13, 1934 2,015,698 Southwick, Jr. in--- Sept. 24,1935 2,111,472 Horn Mar.`151938 `2,218,413 Ben oct. 151.1940

2,244,604 Ben 'June 3, 1941 j 221,441,421-35 

